Conviction of Warren man's murderer upheld by appeals court

The state Court of Appeals has upheld the first-degree murder conviction of a man who strangled an elderly Warren man while robbing his home.

Paul Pozniak, 55, formerly of Pontiac, was convicted by a Macomb County jury following a trial for the February 2010 strangulation of Charles ďChuckĒ Taylor, 84, in Taylorís home on Blackmar Avenue near 10 Mile and Stephens roads. Pozniak, who was the estranged son of an old friend of Taylor, is serving a life-without-parole sentence.

An appeals panel voted 3-0 to deny Pozniakís appeal in a decision made Tuesday and released Wednesday.

The case was a classic ďwhodunitĒ that stumped investigators for several months. But Pozniak went from being unknown to police to the prime suspect after they learned Pozniakís DNA was in skin cells found on Taylorís hands and the back pocket of Taylorís pants from where Pozniak removed his wallet. Pozniakís DNA was on record due to prior convictions. He was arrested in June 2010.

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The case was the subject of an episode of ďNightmare Next DoorĒ shown several times last July on the Investigation Discovery channel, featuring interviews with Warren detectives Robert Eidt and Kevin Borycz; Taylorís daughter, Cassie Skladzien of Shelby Township; and Macomb Daily staff writer Norb Franz.

Pozniak at trial denied involvement, claiming he had visited Taylor the day before and was at his home the day of the murder. But a neighbor of Taylor identified Ponziak on the street the day in question.

Pozniakís prior record included escape from prison and armed convictions in Wayne County and burglary and drug possession in Oakland County.